In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

Eritrea is a nice and unique place to visit.It’s very adventure full country . Great Hotels can be found in Massawa and Assab. It is advisable to book in advance.Meals are available in all hotels. There are also hotels and guest houses in smaller towns whose prices are generally slightly lower than for those in the main centers. When making reservations, check for service charges and sales taxes. Hotel bills must be paid in hard currency known as Nakfa. Credit cards are accepted in major hotels, airlines and major travel agencies. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the Commercial Bank of Eritrea in Asmara which provides the best exchange rate, private exchange offices and major hotels.

Major Banks and hotels in Asmara and Massawa accept traveller’s cheques, US Dollar traveller’s cheques being the most recommended. Don’t hesitate to go out and taste the food and drink in the restaurants. Italian cuisine dominates in larger cities while Massawa is renowned for its excellent seafood, especially prawns and lobster. National specialities include kitcha (thin bread from wheat), injera (a spongy pancake), tsebhi and alicha birsen while national drinks include bun (coffee), shahi (plain tea), swa (beer from local grain) and fruit juices. Get yourself gold and silver jewelery, woodcarvings, leather items, spears, drums, carpets and wicker goods. A certain amount of bargaining is expected in market places but prices in shops are usually fixed.

Finding cheap flights to Eritrea is not that easy, you need to do researching as well as planning ahead of time. Airfares are usually the most expensive part of a vacation trip, next to it would be hotel accommodations, this is why most of those who plan to visit the Eritrea would surely want to go after those cheap flights to Eritrea. Nevertheless, once you arrive in the country, most of the things you will find there have adequately cheap prices, like food, transportation, souvenir items, clothing stuffs, and other accessories you may want to buy, way much cheaper compared to buying the same things from other countries.

There are many specially trained professional Travel Agents will always help you to book a convenient flight to the Eritrea and Travelhouseuk.co.uk is one of them so just call them to book flights which will best suit your budget and travel needs.

Yesterday I wrote about continued conflict between Hizbul Islam and al Shabab in parts of southern Somalia, and had a good discussion with commenter Toaf about where things might be headed. Today I want to discuss how conflict affects local communities.

First, fighting drives people from their homes and fundamentally destabilizes communities. Al Shabab’s recent conquest of Afmadow sent thousands of people fleeing, including key elders and businesspersons. This further erodes local political and economic systems. Moreover, when refugees flood into new areas – or other countries – that places pressure on societies and leaders there.

And for people who remain in a town hit by fighting, problems accumulate. Beledweyne, near the Ethiopian border, frequently changes hands between Hizbul Islam, the Transitional Federal Government, and Ethiopian forces. Repeated shifts in rule have driven many residents into camps outside the city, halted much economic activity, and exacerbated problems of malnutrition and disease.

Second, the fighting makes it impossible for many aid agencies to continue working. I am continually surprised to hear that any are still working, and I admire the bravery of the men and women who have remained in Somalia to provide humanitarian assistance despite pervasive violence. Now, however, even some of the bravest are being forced out:

The regional spokesman for the United Nations’ World Food Program, Peter Smerdon, tells VOA that the agency was forced to withdraw five local staff members from the town of Afmadow in Lower Jubba on Saturday.

Smerdon says the move follows the evacuation of six WFP international workers from the town of Buale in Middle Jubba nine days ago.  Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision, also flew out six members of its staff in Buale on the same day.

“In Afmadow, it was clashes between Islamist groups.  In Buale, it was because of security concerns, which I cannot go into,” he said.

WFP and World Vision are two of only a handful of international aid agencies operating in Somalia’s southern regions.  The United Nations says the evacuation of WFP staff is yet another blow to a country, where a third of its population, more than three-and-a-half million people, need urgent food aid.

World Vision plans to continue some of its programs in the Juba region, but obviously violence is creating massive difficulties.

Finally, the politics of international aid to Somalia also have effects on the ground. Earlier this month, the UN and the WHO warned of looming disaster in Somalia: floods, disease, and hunger could affect millions without an increase in aid, and even the funds available could hardly be disbursed due to violence. US concerns that money might flow to al Shabab led to restrictions on aid delivery that “have put aid groups operating in the area in a near-impossible bind.” Some money is still coming in – the African Development Bank recently pledged $2 million for Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government – but the TFG serves a fraction of the population.

In short, suffering is real and widespread, and those of us who follow the political and strategic aspects of the civil war would do well to keep the human aspects in mind.

*************************

As a coda, the crisis in Somalia has occasioned some reflection among bloggers about the American role in the 2006 Ethiopian invasion of Somalia. Adam Serwer writes that US support for the invasion was a mistake, and I agree. So does the Majlis Blog, though not as explicitly. The Majlis Blog also wonders what the US can do now, a question few are bold enough to answer with specifics (including me).

I believe we must not overestimate our capacity to “fix” Somalia. In the interest of crafting a more coherent policy, however, we do need to have more serious national conversations about a number of questions, including: Should we recognize Somaliland? How should we treat Puntland? Do our policies toward Kenya seem likely to help Kenya deal with fallout from Somalia’s civil war? What will we do if Ethiopia contemplates another major intervention in Somalia? Can we prevent regional actors from arming factions inside Somalia? And can we quarantine southern Somalia if the TFG falls?

And lest we forget, here’s a reminder of some history:

US Soldier in Somalia, 1992

24 novembre 2009, Paris. L’Erythrée pose actuellement au monde un problème de géostratégie d’école. Les manigances du gouvernement d’Asmara avec les « mad mollah » de Téhéran, notamment, agitent toutes sortes de spéculations depuis plusieurs mois, dont je suis étonné de trouver si peu de traces dans la presse. Posons les faits.

Isolé depuis plusieurs années, le régime érythréen s’est appuyé, pour sa survie, sur plusieurs alliés dont les intérêts convergent avec les siens. La Chine, d’abord, qui ne manque aucune occasion de planter un petit drapeau rouge sur le continent africain et qui a formé le président Issaias Afeworki, au temps de la révolution culturelle. Le Qatar, ensuite, soucieux d’être le point d’équilibre entre le jihadisme armé et la realpolitik occidentale, qui a bien perçu dans le pouvoir de nuisance d’Asmara autour de la mer Rouge et en Afrique orientale tout l’intérêt de lui conserver son amitié et de lui accorder ses pétrodollars. L’Italie, ancienne puissance coloniale, où quelques hommes d’affaires cupides proches de la Ligue du Nord et leurs alliés au gouvernement protègent le pouvoir érythréen de toute sanction européenne, sous le prétexte de lutter contre l’immigration clandestine. L’Iran, enfin.

Rencontres bilatérales, échanges ministériels, déclarations publiques d’amitié, contrats commerciaux portant sur les télécommunications et le développement… Les deux gouvernements n’ont pas ménagé leurs efforts ces dix-huit derniers mois pour montrer au monde qu’ils ne sont pas si isolés qu’on le dit et que leur pouvoir d’influence respectif s’étend bien au-delà de leur sphère géographique naturelle. Pour les Iraniens, le prix de cet échange est la réhabilitation, à ses frais, de la raffinerie d’Assab, un port industriel situé à une quarantaine de kilomètres au nord de Djibouti, sur les rives du Bab-el-Mandeb, un goulet d’étranglement naturel qui marque la frontière entre la mer Rouge et le golfe d’Aden. Or, les contrats commerciaux stratégiques passés par l’Iran avec des pays étrangers sont honorés par une branche des Gardiens de la révolution comprenant des ingénieurs et des spécialistes du génie militaire.

On comprend dès lors que la présence de pasdarans iraniens sur les rives du point de passage des supertankers transitant entre l’océan Indien et le canal de Suez a de quoi donner quelques sueurs froides à une communauté internationale déjà aux prises avec Téhéran sur la question nucléaire. L’Iran perturbant déjà le détroit d’Ormuz par où transite le pétrole du Chatt-el-Arab irakien et du Koweit, une présence iranienne à l’ouest de la péninsule arabique fait de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad le Cerbère du pétrole moyen-oriental. Et offre un appui logistique inédit pour un pays sous pression, qui a besoin de nouvelles leviers pour tenir l’Occident et l’ONU à distance. Un premier bras de fer silencieux a eu lieu début novembre, après qu’un bateau iranien chargé d’armes à destination des insurgés chiites du Yémen et en provenance d’Erythrée a été intercepté sur un plage proche de Medi, non loin du bastion rebelle d’Al-Houthis. Le quotidien yéménite indépendant Al-Ahali, citant des sources sécuritaires yéménites, a même affirmé que les rebelles chiites du nord-ouest étaient entraînés par les Pasdarans sur le sol érythréen. Malgré les démentis de circonstance, l’ambassadeur d’Asmara à Sanaa a été convoqué et sermonné.

Alors qu’une résolution décidant de lourdes sanctions contre l’Erythrée est en cours d’examen au sein du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, en raison de son rôle dans l’armement et le financement des taliban noirs de Somalie, l’Erythrée ne peut manquer d’être perçue comme une pièce maîtresse du « Grand jeu » que se livrent les puissances régionales et internationales dans la Corne de l’Afrique. C’est du reste, de l’aveu même de diplomates occidentaux, en raison de cette peur du pouvoir de nuisance d’Issaias Afeworki et son clan que les grandes puissances ont tant hésité à concéder à l’Ouganda, qui perd régulièrement des Casques verts dans la sale guerre de Mogadiscio, le droit de rédiger la résolution imposant un quasi embargo sur l’Erythrée. Mais enfin, le texte devrait être soumis au vote en décembre et représenterait, en raison de l’interdiction de voyager qui serait imposé au leadership érythréen, une avancée majeure dans la déstabilisation du régime. Son apport en devises est en effet essentiellement alimenté par la « taxe » obligatoire que verse la diaspora au gouvernement, sous peine de représailles envers les familles restées au pays.

C’est dans ce contexte que la « disparition » mystérieuse du ministre érythréen de la Défense, Sebhat Ephrem, du 11 au 17 novembre, en compagnie d’un cartographe et d’un opérateur radio, est interprété par certains comme la preuve que la coopération militaire, dans cette région du monde, prend des formes de plus en plus clandestines. Et de plus en plus dangereuses pour nombre de pays, et pas seulement africains.

Amazon's Global Kindle Reader

I heard that Amazon now has a global version of Kindle. I was disappointed to find this morning that the new version still will not work in my country.

Since I’ve wanted one for some time, but have been waiting until they got a version that would work in my country, I checked out their website this morning, only to be disappointed again. Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new Global Kindle for a Christmas gift this year, since the new version will only work in SOME countries, I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Första gången jag kom i läskontakt med Peter Englund var när jag läste Poltava för flera år sedan. Jag har alltid varit historieintresserad, framförallt militärhistoria, och har i femton års tid prenumererat på Populär Historia som trots sitt namn har en tämligen hög seriositet. Peter Englunds Poltava gav mersmak och jag läste fler av hans verk, alla lika välskrivna och intresseväckande. Jag blev därför både upprymd och glad när han blev insläppt i Svenska Akademien - samt snart dess ständige sekreterare - och trodde han skulle blir stor tillgång för detta stela rum av ett bord och aderton stolar. Hans blogg läste jag flitigt under en tid och det var t.ex. riktigt kul att följa hans väg till alstret Stridens skönhet och sorg. Jag har med andra ord haft en stor respekt för denna man.

Den mediala kanonaden om Dawit Isaak gör att  knappast någon människa i detta land kan ha undgått hans öde i Eritrea och sällan har en enda persons livsöde blivit så omskrivet i svensk press. Det faktum att han är journalist hjälper naturligtvis till i denna uppmärksamhet – journalister stöttar givetvis journalister - frågan är hur stort intresse den gemene svensken har. Nu tyckte tydligen Peter Englund, med Expressen som initiativtagare, att detta inte räckte - han sitter ju kvar i fängelset och inget verkar hända. På torsdagen i veckan publicerades därför en av Peter Englund skriven appell för Dawit Isaak i 91 svenska tidningar.  Själva appellen, som tydligen nådde 5 miljoner svenskar enligt expressen,  har en lugn med rättmätig ton. I de intervjuer däremot där han yttrar sig om saken låter det lite annorlunda och mycket olikt Peter Englund. Jag tror det är fler än jag som höjer lite förvånat på ögonbrynet när han beskriver sin syn på saken som bland annat innebär att ta det till EU-nivå.

Även Studio Ett på P1 lät Peter Englund breda ut sig men där lät man även ringa upp kommunikationschefen på UD,  Cecilia Julin, som mycket verbalt och konkret vände upp och ned på Peter Englunds underliga argumentation om tyst diplomati och krav på ekonomiska sanktioner mot Eritrea. Med tanke på hans historiska kunskaper, framförallt i militärhistoria, så är det oerhört märkligt att han andas ekonomiska sanktioner mot en fattig diktatur som Eritrea speciellt på grundval av en fängslad journalist. Har han helt trängt bort följderna av de ekonomiska sanktioner mot Irak under 90-talet där man beräknar att 1,6 miljoner människor dog som direkt följd av dessa sanktioner varav en halv miljon barn? Vidare är hans likhetstecken mellan tyst diplomati och att inte göra någonting rent ut sagt löjligt.

Var har Peter Englunds känsla för proportioner tagit vägen? Vad är hans förslag när de ekonomiska sanktionerna inte fungerar - militärt ingripande? Dawit Isaaks öde är beklagligt och fruktansvärt utifrån alla tänkbara perspektiv men att lägga ned sådan kraft och energi för en enskild människa bara för att han råkar tillhöra samma skrå som Peter Englund haltar betänkligt med tanke på hur otroligt mycket elände det finns i världen att engagera sig i. Jag trodde faktiskt att Peter Englund låg på en högre intellektuell nivå än så.

Det är trist att behöva säga det men min respekt för Peter Englund har fått en ordentlig törn och för att inte bli alltför pejorativ och anklaga Peter Englund för bombkonservativa åsikter tycker jag i enkelhetens namn att han borde skämmas.

Peter Englund - massmedieskeppets nya galjonsfigur?

• UN debates sanctions on Eritrea for backing Somali Islamist rebels and threatening Djibouti [Times South Africa]
• EU sign $1bn development pact with Nigeria, aimed at tackling corruption and promoting peace [BBC online]
• Rep. Jim McDermott introduces bill aiming to curb that trade US trade in conflict minerals [Seattle Times]
• Officially sanctioned Northern Italian ethnic cleansing [Independent]
• Diplomatic Row between Thailand and Cambodia over Shinawatra [Bangkok Post]
• Armenia will be ready to make concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh problem: Ukrainian analyst [Today.Az]
• Corruption threatens global economic recovery, greatly challenges countries in conflict [Transparency International]
• Bosnia’s Chaos Continues [International Crisis Group]
• Berlin Wall: 223 dead. Wall that separates the USA from Mexico: 5.6 thousand dead [Pravda]
• USSR Still Respected Internationally for Its Bombs and Guns [Pravda]

Vå ständige ‘tipssnokare’ Elfyma har lämnat några rader som jag gör ett enkelt blogginlägg av.

Läs och förundras hur den svenska vänsterpolitiken fungerar!

“Googla på eritrea stieg larsson så hittar ni intressanta kopplingar mellan kulturvänstern och enparti-diktaturen i Eritrea.

Expo-grundaren Stieg Larsson utbildade och finansierade den organisation som på 1990-talet tog makten i Eritrea och som senare skulle komma att fängsla Dawit Isaak.

http://svt.se/2.93893/1.1156437/stieg_larssons_testamente_hittat

http://kulturkamp.blogspot.com/

http://www.familjeliv.se/Resliv/Forum-5-65/m48313475.html

Stieg Larssons tidskrift Expo tilldelades senare Dawit Isaak-priset. Logiken i detta är svår att förstå.

http://www.realisten.se/2009/10/27/dawit-isaak-pris-till-stiftelsen-expo/

Expo:s syn på yttrandefrihet liknar EPLF:s.

http://frianyheter.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/yttrandefrihetsvarnare-kritiserar-newsmill-for-bristande-censur/

Expo och Kurdo Baksi har aviserat att de (lagom till valet) kommer ut med sin bok om Stieg Larsson och hans ädla kamp mot SD.

Spara därför denna information för att bemöta kommande hyllningsartiklar om kommunisten och hjälten på den vita springaren Stieg Larsson.

Tack för god upplysning om dubbelmoralen i dessa kretsar, Elfyma!

Läs också:

Sverige, medias härliga dubbelmoral!, Varjager

Stora Journalistpriset och högerextremism, Varjager

Mvh/:)Smileth

Nardos Matusala has been coming to CRC for a long time. She works for a nonprofit, Quality Living, that provides services for people with special needs. I’d always wondered about Nardos’ accent, but until this week I didn’t know the dramatic story that has been her life.

Nardos was born in Eritrea, a country in the Horn of Africa. She was born in the midst of a war between Ethiopia, which had taken over her country, and Eritrean freedom fighters. She remembers her family running from her home to a hole in the yard for shelter whenever they heard planes overhead. To this day, she shutters when she hears the sound of an airplane.

When she was eight, Nardos’ family fled Eritrea. Her  mother put two sets of clothes on Nardos and her four sisters and they literally walked for a month to a refugee camp in Somalia where they spent the next three years.

The family arrived in the United States in 1982. They were placed in an apartment in Philadelphia where they knew no one.  They were afraid to go outside. On their first Fourth of July in America they cowered when fireworks went off, thinking for a second that they were being bombed.

In college, Nardos was asked to write a paper on her childhood. She wrote a paragraph. When the teacher read it, he asked her to write more. Six pages of fear, repression and anxiety emerged.

Today, Nardos is anxious to return to Eritrea for a visit. Her brother, not yet born when the family came to America, doesn’t understand the struggle the family endured. She wants him to understand how precious freedom is.

America has many faces and stories. Sometimes, sitting at the dock door waiting to load bleach and detergent into a van, I get to hear one of them.

the bag-carried charms of lonely school-girls

blue crushed dreams drowned at noon-day

vented fortunes melted and re-created

morphed laughters reflected in a magenta pool

shadowy remains of the over-large green lantern

vultured skulls swinging by their guitar strings

music honeyed lions pondering the dancing stars

there a stare – here a smile – everywhere death

paper-thin mannequins feasting on shrimp salads

oceanic largesses buttoned and stored sideways

sun-dried tomatoes drank with overmuch salt

zion led saints proportioning those fairly decked nuns

swing crushed remains – the bread cracks of yore

the vegan induced convulsions of some carnivore

emperor dreamed lords dressed in nakedness

street whispered symphonies overtaken with sun-dried laughters

slithering oysters wrestling with some stranded toe

darling buds gnashing their teeth as they gently kiss those receding winds

suffocated wedding bands recalling past conquests

suffused pleasures desiring a proper vessel

the sweaty palms of boys chained in boarding schools

green sullied roof tops laced in brown jacaranda leaves

death masked violins overran with a craving for strings

there be but a remainder of mats – herded feet whistling their displeasure

overmuch excitement – the sure emblem of lovers at war

gloried bosoms rounder than the fairest august apple

middle apportioned fortunes starved of the seasons fallings

i pose a conundrum – suppose i cared

those circular yearning s teasing the pathetic fortunes of our failings

trombone led bands cowering beneath flute dresses

museum honeyed murals of masters unknown

leather clobbered loins remained upon the chiefest lizard cliffs

shop stewed beans rustling in their metal prisons

willows distantly dancing a fresh of the flowing muds

the punished sounds of choirs hanged at dawn

boot driven passions remained on a plastic plate

a loose lip here – a shoe there – everywhere death

numidian mushrooms sheltered beneath kilimanjaros shoulders

kissed birds overcome with grief

the booked imaginings of shy pupils giggling in rain

pampered lobsters sunbathing in their coffins

oiled thighs standing erect besides michelangelo’s david

yellow scented lusts of husbands given over to theatre

comedy driven longings – the perpendicular stares of wronged lover

the karoo streams – kalahari basins – toureg chants – gorgon encampments

they all be but simple venison servings

table laid charms bottled in salt

how fair are those dancing bears – even the same fur-less devils

suspended aloft that soon disappearing iceberg

night stars rushing purposefully to their deaths

sychellian crustaceans wallowing in grief

the bushveld  tropics leaning gently upon fair mozambique’s cheeks

soon-approaching monsoons announcing their arrival in himalayan chants

train hurried suns murmuring for a lack of attention

the haired touching of lovers stranded at and in the sea

easterly badlands housed in some papal estate

toe-tugged yearnings elegantly decked in straw skirts

of epher’s children – salute them with a gentle tug in either direction

craven red shoes seated upright in some rainy mud hut

of mau mau and his abandoned harlots – whistle only and touch not

burning forests housed wholly in her mouth

olympian straits considered and rejected

righteousness forced upon unwilling saints – they chose sin instead

snow-covered churches overcome with laughter

coat pocketed jealousies of rivals resorting to righteousness – dueling

scorched lands immigrating downward and into hell

cherry scented mustangs awash in fresh aloe

dew carried feet refusing the flung serving of fresh boots

the remaining african horn fed to the nomadics of eritrea

diseased waters bottled and sent to epher’s descendants

soap deprived ankles painted in valley yellow

dark suns prejudiced at the sight of blue oranges

suited bullfrogs desiring an audience with the priest

mournful dirges of some tragic anthem lorded over the plains

serengeti woodlands teaming with overmuch grasshoppers

lateral – dental – palatial

the rice grown hatreds of aphrite’s rude cousins

millet rinsed touchings of loves and lovers clothed in burnings

sight condemned ancients rehearsing their final movements

hurried motionings of sharks harpooned at the high deserts

drunk instructors condemned to the wine cellars

drought moustaches grown arrogant with the occasional brush

ankle dipped hands dancing on freshly painted ceilings

roman centurions sheepishly waiting upon the priests

the back covered lashes of whips crying at dawn

zebra teethed lions lying sideways – the feed was much

meditating monks nightly preaching patience as they doubt its efficacy

rib jointed searchings of parents transfixed upon some tragic statute

guitar stringed understandings of lovers soon to be loosened

hurricane gales refusing freely gifted medications – they instead desire destruction

church chimed machinations – the loud shadows of sarcadortal hems

leather-covered sweaters speaking of soon returning father abraham

marsh covered bibles resurrected to their mournful parents

papered lips pretending to care yet found out

fortuned souls buried in moses’ bosoom

piano starved school children emaciated and in need of fresh cassava

drunk pilgrims desecrating their holy places

curses courtiers given over to overindulgence

pleasured hips forgetting how to dress

earth abused servants despising their hoes

equator neglected bears doubly aggrieved

polluted musics distilled in yellow barley

tomato crushed dreams of lovers separated by war

tributaries of untamed passions spewing from eva’s bosom

tribal instincts of mothers caressing their pops – confused loves

crucified sailors condemned for purity of passions

the yellow ribbons circling about in their blue trousers

bus driven fears of known futures

boiled mannequins cascading in sheltered rage

the oiled ankles of lovers destined to fail

teaming marshes pregnant with the anticipation of your impending hanging

what would shylock do

such purity contained in those unassuming holy loins

not a penny more or less

the weighty pendulums of earthly expectations placed shoulderwise

upon such lowly flesh – pray for his rich poverty

freely consider the run – jonah did

circular chains layered outwardly upon her cheeks

wandering stares of the decomposing tortoise

craged backs of prisoners rejoicing at the sight of a whip

unseemly lovings of the nile priests

snow married rains competing for the mastery

roaming preachers begging for fresh underwear

any recall the simple pleasures of death

hyacinth troubled waters refusing to suffocate

consider the daffodils and their fair cousins – the black mamba

following – continue your runnings

street dancing muses overtaken with giggling willows

haggard poets taking up whistling

layered burnings of victims returned from their nightly flames

the bleached denials of lovers untrained in the art – of lying

caressed lips of saints hanged and burned by the eclipse

green creeks snaking around eva’s proud towers

ever populated with the bagged trifles of smiles sealed and delivered

expected rains falling only the honest sinners

touch not but freely reach

the flasked remains of wars forced upon the innocent

dirt condemned shoulders praying for rain

honeyed nights scribing the moanful chants of reunited lovers

built ruins of some ancient king – god

boot-straped cowboys jeaned and straightwith saddled

onion ringed stairs of pilgrims unfurling their carpets in prayer

stoned devils loosened on an unassuming friday afternoon

the shamelessly chanted charms of choirs rehearsing compassion

free range grains frustrated at the sight of a sickle

garden manufactured sandals covered in cassava peelings

the red vases of fortunes’ train soon approaches

temple plundered riches housed in some temple

boat driven suspenders tugging the wily doe

arabian summers spend it hibernation

square run destinies married to music slithered hands

love-worn seagulls taking up residence on greenland’s beaches

the pilgrim stares of submerged penguins

superfluous gains of tormentors destined to burn

collected unicorns aimlessly peddling their air cycles

terrace covered nakedness of summers spent at the arctic

zerubabel conducted symphonies arrested by the passing eclipse

the retrograde joys of past loves recalled in regret

of pains  known and grown out of – try harder

vase-shaped frustrations – even the same man nurtured

sandals of ambitions dead at birth

any care pass along the rope – how make you a proper noose

how sweet the contradiction daily raping humanity

baleful mourns of innocence hushed in the still of the night

bewildered stares fixed upon the priestly robes of the temple vultures

scavengers given over to overmuch prayer – before consuming their flesh

teeth mapped meats shaking with fear

with love and for love yet always serving self

hades scented saints marching triumphantly towards their sabbath pews

those proper passions gently housed in some harlots bosom

care consider her kind

rude awakenings of skirts hugged one upon another

round fingers – the meandering coins emblazoned with sea fortunes

sword kissed deaths transfixed upon some tragic mount

that they too desire to commune with father moses – any care find him

knee-nursed yearnings of some crawling pop

kettle-whispered lovings of mothers overcome with joy

loves journeyed in darkness only to be condemned by the searching light

some waffled longings of imprisoned cousins – twice removed

fortunes plundered and straightaway surrendered to mightier foes

watched yearnings of those round face anthills

care imitate the socialized hatreds of the sheppard

joyous singings at the news of the stranded winters upon the seas

today be the burial of some tragic figure – some son of three parents

scared remains of lovers burned in love – rather it be love that burned then -

or love caused these burnings – love burned them – in a word: they be dead

the dragon costumes singularly common yet without a mother

companies of soldiers bewailing their blood-muddied swords

pure-bred expectations of fathers married to daily runnings

parisian harlots – even those decadent damsels of notre dame

lamp lighted walkings of some painted corridor

symphonic laughters given over to overmuch prayers

recall the butterfly laced travels of righteous odysseus

the drought peopled apartments quietly screaming for chardonnay

touched purities of priests aggrieved in spirit yet glad in the flesh

palm lined libraries of cairo giddily seated adjacent jerusalem’s famous lamps

summer covered carpets laced with gerbera ferns

nightly runnings of forbidden lovers conspiring their next escapes

apostolic sureties of saint eva – blessed be her musical loins

poems collected in empty wooden wine skins

coerced laughters masked in the lying giggles of the anaconda

prayerful knees of the arabian monk wrestling with an empty sea shell

rehearsed returns of the blue women of the green lagoon

liberian tiles refusing their ordained marriages to cuban cements

any care hear of the loud shrills of the debauched crickets

plimsol expectations of princes ignored in plain sight

the returned piercings of lapped waters dancing in a great danes mouth

restrained sheep recalling their wild histories as dakota mustangs

of sacrifices a dove yet wholly unrepentant

rosy mornings carried in an empty jar

that the sistine chapel was erected by a harlot – aye even eva

that most righteous and upwardly decked saint of the weeping sheets

known of most for her convulsing inducing hands

virgin pilgrims remained upon their store-bought piety

some raisin cured yawns of the whited sepulchers housing her blessed remains

glass layered centuries of accusations returned and loosened

sweet-honeyed chirpings of the wooly mammoth

crane-spoted hyenas jumping rope in the serengeti plains

crowned turtles desiring the company of boiling lobsters

any recall the tearful repentances of proud nabucco

slaves become masters and enslaving their fellow slaves

how that in running – they instead lost themselves

have a care

In the Ogaden, a region of Ethiopia home to many ethnic Somalis, the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has launched a new round of fighting against the state. This fighting has repercussions not just for Ethiopia, but also for war-torn Somalia next door.

Ogaden region, Ethiopia

It is difficult to tell exactly what is happening in the Ogaden. The ONLF says it has inflicted hundreds of casualties on the Ethiopian army, but the government in Addis Ababa denies these claims. Journalists have not been able to enter the area.

However severe the fighting is, it seems clear that at least some violence is taking place. That, in and of itself, has regional implications. Ethiopia’s government accuses its rival Eritrea of funding the ONLF, which keeps tensions between the two countries running high. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian-Somali border region is already the zone of intense fighting, including cross-border interventions by Ethiopia in Somalia’s Hiran region. Reports from Somalia continue to speak of Ethiopian troop movements inside the country. With violent conflict raging at their doorstep, and armed rebellion inside their territory, the Ethiopian military is likely on edge, to say the least.

ONLF actions have repercussions not just for Ethiopian-Somali interactions, but also for the interlocking conflicts inside Somalia. As Somalia’s two main Islamist groups, al Shabab and Hizbul Islam, continue to spar, al Shabab is accusing the ONLF of supporting Hizbul Islam. (To complicate matters, Ethiopia claims that ONLF assists al Shabab).

It’s difficult to disentangle all the potential relationships here, but VOA’s suggestion that “the fighters identified as ONLF by al-Shabab may be a group from the Ogaden region. But they are more likely to be fighting alongside [Hizbul Islam] as fellow clan members rather than as representatives of the ONLF” may be on the money. If so, that means regardless of what groups are formally allied with other groups, the ethnic Somalis on both sides of the border are involved in the conflict regardless of their official nationality. Depending on the scale of that involvement, this trend could destabilize eastern Ethiopia.

Back in Addis Ababa, meanwhile, maneuvering in advance of Ethiopia’s 2010 parliamentary elections continues. The Globe and Mail writes that the ruling party is conducting a “campaign of intimidation,” and the British government is concerned about charges that Ethiopia is “keeping food aid from opposition members to force them to join the ruling party.” But Western aid to and support for Ethiopia’s government is likely to continue, and as many observers have mentioned, that support may play a key role in maintaining the ruling party in power.

What effect would increased violence and instability in eastern Ethiopia and western Somalia have on the political atmosphere in Ethiopia, and on Western countries’ calculations regarding their support for Ethiopia? No one can predict the future, but it seems more likely to me that instability will boost, not reduce, Western powers’ support for Ethiopia as a bulwark against greater chaos in the region.

The conditions Pastor Tewelde Hailom, founding elder of Asmara Full Gospel Church (FGC), are facing under house arrest, have deteriorated. Sources say that Pastor Hailom’s sister, who has been taking care of him at home, have been ordered to leave. He is now provided the same food as those who find themselves in prison, i.e. a piece of bread and a cup of tea in the morning and in the evening. According to the sources the insufficient food is aggravating the stomach ulcer Pastor Hailom is suffering from. Additionally, security forces arrested another FGC pastor on November 7, bringing the number to 11 of FGC members arrested since the October 14 raid on Pastor Hailom’s house. The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Pastor Ghide Haile are unknown to Open Doors, but we have been informed that he is kept at Asmara’s Police Station Number 2. According to sources the two men arrested during the raid on Pastor Hailom’s house, Samuiel Oqbagzi and Gebreberhane (Kifle) Tesfamichel, have now also been moved to this police station notorious for its strenuous conditions. They were initially held at Police Station Number 7. These FGC members share the fate of almost 3,000 Christians detained across Eritrea because they worship outside of the government approved Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches. OD knows of at least ten Christians who have died after facing horrendous prison conditions like being kept in underground cells or metal shipping containers, being tortured and being provided insufficient food, sanitation and medical care.

Please pray for this pastor and all the believers in Eritrea.

Drought and war in eastern Africa have left more than 20 million people in desperate need of emergency food aid, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

“The situation is very worrying due to expected crop and pasture failures from poor rains in several areas, the increase in conflicts, trade disruptions and continuing high food prices,” the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.

In its latest report on food and crop prospects (www.fao.org), FAO said delayed rains and dry spells often followed by floods had hurt crops and pastures in Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda.

Read more [Reuters]

Here are some blog posts on Africa worth checking out:

Kal sets recent political maneuvers by Mauritanian Islamists in their historical context.

A few bloggers look at the politics of US restrictions on aid to Somalia: Steve Bloomfield points to contradictions in policy toward Somalia and actions in Afghanistan; Mike Smith examines the effects that delaying food aid has:

The impact of the interruption is becoming clear and causing huge problems, with rations to starving people being cut. The decision in October to suspend millions of dollars worth of aid came due to fears that food and money was going to an Islamic insurgent group, with the U.S. assuring the UN that the delay would be brief. But now the World Food Program has suggested “The food supply line to Somalia is effectively broken.” Food is stuck in Kenya until bureaucrats can decide better regulations — regulation that makes demands that the UN fear are unrealistic in such a chaotic environment like Somalia.

Shashank Bengali fills us in on architecture in Eritrea.

Turning to Sudan, Rob Crilly comments on a recent op-ed about Darfur by Michael Gerson. At the State Department’s Dipnote blog, US Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration discusses his engagement with American activists through new technology. Bec Hamilton gives her take on the event:

The best summation of the State Department’s first foray into citizen engagement 2.0 is, appropriately enough, encapsulated in a tweet by TechPresident blogger Micah Sifry. Responding to the frustration advocates were expressing in real-time to the vagueness of the administration’s answers, he wrote, “Whatever you may think about substance of Gration/Power’s answers, State Dept just raised the bar on admin transparency efforts.” Indeed.

Finally, Texas in Africa directs us to another nice post by Louisa Lombard on the Peace Corps and the Central African Republic.

What are you reading today?

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Last week, I published a post regarding Remembrance Day.

This week, I came across an article by BBC regarding the over 1.3 million African troops that helped fight Nazis and Fascists. The article, written by Martin Plaut, BBC Africa analyst, shows Africa’s contribution to World Peace during the Second World War by fighting aggressive invaders with in Africa and even going to Europe fighting the Nazis and the Fascists.

Thanks to Martin Plaut and the BBC for brining this to its readers’ attention. I hope that the West will remember Africa’s forgotten soldiers and patriots, who fought for World Peace side by side with peace loving nations.

Ethiopian Patriot Jagamo Kello (shown in the middle) left home at just 15 to fight Italian invaders
Photo Circa 1936

Martin Plaut says,

“The 70th anniversary of World War II is being commemorated around the world, but the contribution of one group of soldiers is almost universally ignored. How many now recall the role of more than one million African troops?

Yet they fought in the deserts of North Africa, the jungles of Burma and over the skies of Germany. A shrinking band of veterans, many now living in poverty, bitterly resent being written out of history.
For Africa, World War II began not in 1939, but in 1935.

Italian Fascist troops, backed by thousands of Eritrean colonial forces, invaded Ethiopia.
Emperor Haile Selassie was forced to flee to the UK, but others, known as Patriots, fought on. Among them was Jagama Kello. Fifteen years old at the time, he left home and raised a guerrilla force that struck at the Italian invaders”.

Africa’s WWII Forgotten Soldiers in Graph

The sad part is Eritrea had 60,000 colonial troops that took side with Fascist Italy and attacked Ethiopia while the rest of Africans helped the British and Americans.

As you can see from the image above, Africa had four major colonial powers at the time:

• Britain
• France
• Italy, and
• Belgium

Ethiopia was / and has always been free from Colonialism and the 30,000 Patriots depicted on the graph are those actively participated in the defeat of Fascist Italy either with in Ethiopia or abroad. Other sources say that the 30,000 figure is way too small and estimate it to be 100,000 plus.

Ethiopia has been one of the leading countries in the UN’s peace keeping activities in the 50’s and 60’s. Ethiopian soldiers did go to Korea in early 1950’s and Kongo in early 1960’s to help out with peace keeping in those countries. Most of the Ethiopian soldiers who went to Korea and Kongo have passed away, but their legacy lives forever.

I believe nations like South Korea have a moral responsibility to help Ethiopian soldiers who were there for them in times of war. If the soldiers have died, then South Korea should help the children of those soldiers. This could be done in many ways, like giving scholarship to some universities in Korea, opening an elementary school and/or library in Ethiopia, paying a small monthly stipend to those soldiers who are still alive or their surviving family members.

On a different note, the Ethiopian governments past and present have not done much for fighters like Jagamo Kello, Abdissa Aga, and many other patriots who fought hard Fascist Italy. It is true that some have been recognized, like Balcha Hospital in Addis Ababa (named after the great warrior Balcha Aba Nefso), Belai Zellekke (a street named for his bravery). But, generally, most of the patriots have been forgotten by the government; no schools, no streets, nothing in their names.

I believe that Ethiopian historians at Addis Ababa University can bring names of forgotten Ethiopian patriots to the attention of the government for a recognition. and I hope that the time will come when all patriots will get the much deserving appreciation from the government.

The full BBC article can be read here

Have a great weekend.

My next article will be posted on November 19, 2009

Por Chen Wu.

Observador Juvenil/Kaos en la Red.

Recientemente Zhou Ji, Ministro de Educación de la República Popular China, se refirió a los sucesos que en Occidente se están dando en los últimos días conmemorando la caída del Muro de Berlín, que hace 20 años sucumbió al poder imperialista de los Estados Unidos.

Para Zhou Ji, la caída del Muro demuestra lo obsoleto de un sistema socialista de corte soviético que no supo adaptarse a su tiempo, con lo que sucumbió sin remedio ante el poderoso imperialismo de Estados Unidos, con un dólar fuerte y el control de los mercados a nivel mundial.

Ji asegura que el socialismo no ha muerto y que el PCCH sigue liderando en la RPC el proceso de transformación hacia el socialismo, adaptado a los nuevos tiempos, y esto se demuestra con el crecimiento de la República Popular, que alcanza una media de más de un 10 por ciento anual en las últimas décadas.

La clase trabajadora china vive hoy en mejores condiciones que nunca, todavía la pobreza es patente en las zonas más alejadas de los núcleos industriales, pero los esfuerzos que el Partido está realizando a través de empresas públicas como la segunda mayor petrolera del mundo demuestran que el comunismo sigue siendo la única alternativa viable frente al capitalismo, de corte siempre imperialista contra los pueblos del mundo, aseguró Ji.

En este sentido, se refirió al papel renovador e impulsor del socialismo que la República Popular China está llevando a cabo, alejada de infantilismos de izquierda que únicamente servirían para desviar el progreso hacia el nuevo Mundo Socialista, que en el Siglo XXI comienza a ver la luz de la mano de procesos de transición en Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Angola, Etiopía, Eritrea, Corea y Vietnam.

Esta obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons.

Jagamo Kello, middle, left home at just 15 to fight Italian invaders

The 70th anniversary of World War II is being commemorated around the world, but the contribution of one group of soldiers is almost universally ignored. How many now recall the role of more than one million African troops?

Yet they fought in the deserts of North Africa, the jungles of Burma and over the skies of Germany. A shrinking band of veterans, many now living in poverty, bitterly resent being written out of history.

For Africa, World War II began not in 1939, but in 1935.

Italian Fascist troops, backed by thousands of Eritrean colonial forces, invaded Ethiopia.

Emperor Haile Selassie was forced to flee to the UK, but others, known as Patriots, fought on. Among them was Jagama Kello. Fifteen years old at the time, he left home and raised a guerrilla force that struck at the Italian invaders.

Freedom fighters

But for most Africans independence was still 15 years away.

In the meantime, the veterans had to get home and find a job.

Many found little gratitude for their years of service and no work.

In February 1948 veterans from Ghana, among them Kalimu Glover went to petition the governor.

But instead of receiving them, police opened fire. It sparked off an outpouring of anger on the streets of Accra.

“After the shooting, we said we should damage all British things in the city. We got stones, sticks to break down shops. We broke them all down. Those were wonderful days: February 1948, Saturday to Sunday.”

Mr Kebby is convinced that he and others like him helped end colonial rule.

“Every soldier who went to India got new ideas and learnt new things. We came back with improved ideas about life. We, the ex-servicemen, gave this country the freedom it’s enjoying today. We gave this freedom and handed it over to our country.”

Full story from BBC

Readers have likely heard about the ongoing military conflict between Saudi Arabia and rebels in Yemen. But did you know that Eritrea stands accused of aiding the Yemeni rebels?

Iran is using Eritrea as a base to provide weapons to Shi’ite insurgents in Yemen, an Eritrean opposition leader alleged on Sunday.

“They (rebels) are receiving their arms from Iran through Eritrea,” Bashir Eshaq, head of external relations for the opposition Eritrean Democratic Alliance, told AFP in an interview.

“The weapons arrive in Eritrea’s coastal towns – mainly Assab, and from then onwards, Huthi rebels smuggle the arms to Yemen at night,” he added.

Eritrea lies just across the Red Sea to the west of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Horn of Africa nation has frosty relations with the West, but has recently fostered close economic ties with Iran.

I cannot judge the truth of Eshaq’s claims, but this remind us that we can’t neatly separate the political world of the Horn of Africa and the political world of the Gulf. It’s all interrelated. Here are just a few of the important connections:

• Refugees from Somalia and other East African countries are pouring into Yemen. Boatloads arrive – or are stopped – regularly. Yemeni officials estimate the total at over 800,000 Somalis, though UN sources put the total at 160,000. Whatever the figure, the influx of refugees strengthens the cultural bond between Yemen and its African neighbors while potentially destabilizing Yemen even further.
• Trade and aid connect Somalia and the Gulf, as illustrated by Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to reopen its livestock trade with Somalia. As the authors in Alex de Waal’s volume Islamism and Its Enemies in the Horn of Africa discuss, Gulf Arab NGOs began to operate on a broad scale in Somalia after the collapse of the state in 1991, further connecting the Horn to the Gulf religiously, culturally, and politically.
• Accusations that Eritrea is meddling in Yemen echo accusations by Eritrea’s neighbors that it supports al Shabab in Somalia and aids the Ogaden National Liberation Front in Ethiopia. These charges have contributed to Eritrea’s regional and international pariah status.

Despite the human, economic, and military ties between East Africa and the Gulf, we’re not getting the nuanced media coverage of this region that we need. It’s hard to find a sophisticated public discussion in the American media of how the relationships between these countries and the domestic situations in each one are affecting conflicts that are too often depicted as self-contained, like the Somali civil war, or as bilateral, like the fighting near the Saudi Arabian-Yemeni border.

Asmara, Eritrea

If we’re not getting the coverage we need, is Washington formulating nuanced and effective policies toward the region?

Clearly, the administration is aware that problems have regional dimensions. US policymakers who are concerned about terrorism and instability in Yemen and Somalia recognize that these problems are connected. Speaking in August in Nairobi with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Secretary Hillary Clinton displayed an impressive knowledge of the effects of the Somali refugee crisis on its neighbors, and took questions about the possibility of the Somali civil war destabilizing Kenya. The US has taken a hard line on Eritrea for alleged involvement in Somalia. I am still concerned, though, that policies toward different players in the region are at odds with one another. Is close friendship with Ethiopia conducive to promoting stability in Somalia? Can we pressure Kenya’s leadership to reform (a move that has already evoked backlash) while still demanding their cooperation on Somalia? If accusations of Eritrean intervention in Yemen turn out to be true, I hope that the Obama administration will carefully examine all the strands in this tangled web.

On a related note, here’s a video from NTV Kenya about recent arrests of terrorist suspects:

SINCLAS / NATO UNCLASSIFIED
BORRADOR

Dedicado al Excmo. Sr. Teniente General (ret.) D. Juan Narro, a los infantes de marina actualmente desplegados en Afganistán y a todos los jóvenes que se van a incorporar a la Infantería de Marina con el Xº Ciclo 2009, pues serán ellos los que continuarán portando el escudo de la Infantería de Marina fuera de nuestras fronteras.

ASUNTO: Ámbitos de actuación de la Infantería de Marina y mapamundi con riesgos de crisis durante los próximos años 2010-2015

ANTECEDENTES

La Armada continuará desarrollando sus capacidades de proyección estratégica a lo largo de la próxima década. La Armada se está “escorando” hacia ALFLOT.

La Infantería de Marina seguirá siendo la Fuerza Expedicionaria por antonomasia durante los años 2010-2015.

DESARROLLO

A partir del análisis de diferentes fuentes abiertas (OSINT) es posible predecir cuáles serán los probables ámbitos de actuación de la Infantería de Marina durante los próximos años 2010-15, independientemente de las líneas de acción estratégicas militares (disuasión, cooperación, prevención, maniobra o respuesta) en las que el Real y Glorioso Cuerpo se vea obligado a actuar.

A. Escenario Nacional (interior/exterior)

A.1.- El peor escenario nacional-interior hace referencia a nuestro actual Ordenamiento Constitucional. España es una Monarquía Parlamentaria. La muerte de SM el Rey D. Juan Carlos I probablemente provocará una subida al trono “turbulenta” de su legítimo sucesor, SAR el Príncipe de Asturias. ¿Qué instituciones del Estado y qué otros centros de gravedad van a apoyar a SAR el Príncipe de Asturias? La Historia enseña que casi nunca han sido fáciles las sucesiones monárquicas en España. Los defensores de la República y el Federalismo como modelos de Estado harán “mucho ruido”: análisis de sus capacidades vs. intenciones, vulnerabilidades y probables cursos  de acción. Peor escenario: atentado contra SAR el Príncipe de Asturias.

A.2. Terrorismo (nacional/internacional). Peor escenario: empleo de armas de destrucción masiva (NBQR).

A.3. En el ámbito nacional-exterior, el peor escenario haría referencia a un ataque directo contra Ceuta, Melilla, las islas y peñones del Norte de África, así como contra el Archipiélago Canario. Capacidades e intenciones del actual gobierno (Presidencia, MAE y MINISDEF).

A.4. Duranté los próximos años continuará llegando inmigración ilegal, por “aire” (Barajas), y por mar (Estrecho e Islas Canarias). ¿Empleo de la Infantería de Marina en el ámbito de actuación de FRONTEX? “Desaconsejable”.

A.5. La crisis económica: auge de los extremismos, tanto de carácter neo-falangista como anarcosindicalista. Empleo hipotético capacidad control de masas.

A.6. En un documento aparte se analizarán las posibles consecuencias que la Presidencia Española de la UE (ENE-JUN 2010) y el Tratado de Lisboa puedan ejercer sobre la Infantería de Marina Española, a corto, medio y largo plazo, y en los niveles táctico, operacional y estratégico (concretamente European Union Marine Expeditionary Force [EU MEF]).

A.7. Elecciones parlamentarias 2012. Hasta entonces es muy poco probable tanto la dimisión del actual gobierno como el que prospere una moción de censura por parte de la oposición. Análisis de capacidades vs. intenciones del actual gobierno hasta 2012. Análisis de las lecciones aprendidas “políticas y militares” a partir de las misiones en el exterior (Afganistán, Kosovo, ATALANTA y el Alakrana), y sus implicaciones para la Infantería de Marina.

A.8. Peores escenarios de crisis en el ámbito nacional-exterior:

• Argelia (interior/exterior)
• Bolivia (interior)
• Guinea Ecuatorial (interior)
• Guerra convencional entre Venezuela y Colombia.
• Marruecos (interior/exterior)
• Mauritania
• Piratería
• Sáhara Occidental
• Venezuela (interior)

B. Escenarios regionales y globales

África Subsahariana

• Burundi
• Chad
• Costa de Marfil
• Etiopía
• Eritrea
• Mali
• Níger
• Nigeria
• República Democrática del Congo
• Ruanda
• Somalia
• Sudán

Asia Central

• Kazajstán
• Kirguistán
• Tayikistán
• Turkmenistán
• Uzbekistán

Asia del Este

• Corea del Norte

Asia del Sur

• Afganistán
• Bangladesh
• India
• Nepal
• Pakistán
• Sri Lanka

Balcanes

• Bosnia i Herzegovina
• Kosovo
• Macedonia
• Serbia

Cáucaso

• Armenia
• Azerbaiyán
• Cáucaso Norte ruso
• Georgia

Europa Central y del Este

• Bielorrusia
• Moldavia
• Rusia (interior y exterior)
• Ucrania (interior y exterior)

Latinoamérica

• Bolivia
• Colombia
• Cuba
• Haití
• Honduras
• Paraguay
• Venezuela (interior/exterior)

Magreb

• Libia
• Túnez

Oriente Medio

• Arabia Saudí
• Irán (interior/exterior)
• Irak
• Yemen

Oriente Próximo

• Egipto
• Israel
• Líbano (interior, exterior)
• Palestina (interior, exterior)
• Siria
• Turquía

Sudeste Asiático

• Filipinas

RECOMENDACIONES

Ley de la Carrera Militar: Los oficiales generales de Infantería de Marina deben y pueden desempeñar los siguientes cargos dentro de las FF.AA. durante la próxima década: ALFLOT, AJEMA, CMOPS, JEMACON, JEMAD. Terminar con esta  “discriminación positiva” hacia los almirantes del Cuerpo General y oficiales generales de los otros Ejércitos.

Inteligencia anfibia. Expertos de área infantes de marina sobre todo en África, Asia Central, Cáucaso y Oriente Próximo. Análisis de las recientes vulnerabilidades del binomio CNI-CIFAS en Asia Central y Oriente Próximo y sus implicaciones para la  Infantería de Marina en los niveles táctico y operacional.

Preguntas incómodas SEP 09: ¿Cuántos oficiales superiores de Infantería de Marina hay destinados en el CIFAS? ¿Y en Agregadurías de Defensa “sensibles”? ¿Cuántos oficiales de Infantería de Marina han superado este año el curso superior de Inteligencia de las FAS? ¿Cuántos oficiales de Infantería de Marina están destinados actualmente en cualquiera de las J2/G2/N2/A2 de OTAN y UE? ¿NIC misiones en el extranjero?

Perfil lingüístico de los infantes de marina: ¡+inglés, +francés! +lenguas africanas y de Asia Central.

Infantes de Marina “paramédicos”.

Helicópteros y MRAP “anfibios”.

Arma submarina: replantearse esta “capacidad” que posee la Armada, pues es poco probable la “intención” de emplear los submarinos durante los próximos cinco años (disuasión, cooperación, prevención, maniobra o respuesta). Desviar ese dinero a capacidades anfibias de proyección de la Fuerza en los niveles táctico y operacional.

Bases de Infantería de Marina (Caribe, Golfo de Guinea). AFRICOM, UK Royal Marines (“¡Gibraltar europeo!”: desbloquear relaciones militares Reino Unido-España por culpa de Gibraltar, STANAGs OTAN, etc.), Francia, EE.UU., dotación fragatas alemanas (equipos de abordaje).

Reforzar USCAN. Entidad Agrupación-Tercio. Revisar valor táctico-operacional-estratégico y “económico” de TERNOR y AGRUMAD.

Revisar sentido Fuerza de Protección Infantería de Marina. Desviar infantes de marina hacia los nuevos buques de acción marítima. Reconvertir en Equipos de abordaje de Infantería de Marina.

Maniobras conjuntas “boinas negras” de Rusia.

FIMEX Latinoamérica (Brasil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia)

Explotar “vulnerabilidades” (“debilidades”) del Ministerio Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación, concretamente: Alianza de Civilizaciones, en provecho de la Infantería de Marina (por ejemplo: Battlegroup UE anfibio “Alianza de Civilizaciones” con Turquía y Marruecos; Battlegroup “Muslim” por iniciativa español; “comprehensive approach” con África+AECID).

Explotar vulnerabilidades tándem María Teresa Fernández de la Vega+Miguel Ángel Moratinos vs. Carme Chacón+Félix Sanz Roldán.

Evitar “improvisaciones” de última hora frente a un hipotético conflicto entre Venezuela y Colombia. Sólo la “diplomacia” no va a ser suficiente para evitar una guerra. Riesgo para los intereses españoles en la región si estalla la “II Guerra de la Gran Colombia“. Centros de Gravedad y vulnerabilidades de Colombia y Venezuela. Análisis de los posibles Cursos de Acción de España y resto de países con intereses estratégicos en la región (UE, EE.UU., Rusia, Irán, Bielorrusia, etc.). Muy probable neutralidad española frente a intereses de otras potencias europeas (Reino Unido, Alemania, Francia) y terceros (Rusia, Brasil y EE.UU.). Centros de gravedad prioritarios de Venezuela:  Hugo  Rafael Chávez  Frías (Comandante en Jefe de la Fuerza Armada Nacional) y Ramón Alonso Carrizalez Rengifo (Ministro del Poder Popular para la Defensa).

Listado de posibles candidatos MINISDEF 2012. Lobby. Análisis de los posibles cambios en materia de Seguridad y Defensa y sus implicaciones para la Infantería de Marina.

Redes sociales de Infantería de Marina (ex infantes de marina o hijos del Cuerpo: hermanos embajadores Dezcállar, etc.).

Promover más visitas oficiales de SAR el Príncipe de Asturias al TEAR y a los demás Tercios, Agrupaciones, unidades y FIMEX de Infantería de Marina. Objetivo: que los infantes de marina conozcan más de cerca a su futuro Monarca.

ALMAR, Guardia Civil y FRONTEX. La Infantería de Marina no debería participar en ninguna operación/ejercicio de lucha contra la inmigración ilegal que no esté cofinanciada por FRONTEX (sección naval).

CONCLUSIÓN

En nuestra Zona de Responsabilidad de Inteligencia, los ámbitos de actuación de la Infantería de Marina se reducirían únicamente a los siguientes escenarios regionales y globales con riesgo de crisis (interior/exterior): Asia Central, los Balcanes, el Cáucaso y Europa Central y del Este. En este sentido, las Necesidades Prioritarias de Inteligencia deberían enfocarse sobre todo hacia la Federación Rusa (interior/exterior) y los siguientes países:  Armenia, Azerbaiyán, Bielorrusia, Georgia, Kazajstán, Kirguistán, Tayikistán, Turkmenistán, Ucrania y Uzbekistán.

No obstante lo dicho, el mapa adjunto, elaborado a partir de fuentes abiertas (OSINT), muestra los posibles escenarios de actuación en los ámbitos nacional, regional y global, incluyendo aquellos países con riesgo de crisis en los que probablemente pueda emplearse la Infantería de Marina Española durante los próximos años 2010-15.

Los escenarios navales y anfibios incluirían: Golfo de Adén, Golfo de Guinea, Islas Canarias y costa noroccidental africana, Mar Adriático, Mar Amarillo, Mar Arábigo,  Mar Báltico (Kaliningrado), Mar Caribe, Mar Caspio, Mar Mediterráneo, Mar Negro y Mar Rojo.

Shashank Bengali discusses his trip to Eritrea and his experience interviewing President Isaias Afwerki.

Reuters’ Africa Blog wonders about the likelihood of independence for South Sudan. Bec Hamilton fields questions on that issue and other Sudan-related topics. Alex de Waal weighs in on Southern Sudanese independence as well.

Steve Bloomfield has a hilarious rundown of how western media sources are gullible when it comes to who speaks for Somali pirates:

No story about Somali pirates is complete without a suitably bloodcurdling quote from a cutlass-wielding Jack Sparrow wannabe. Luckily for journalists there are plenty of Somalis willing to pretend to be pirates spokesmen for us to choose from.

Following the kidnapping of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple sailing from Seychelles to Tanzania, the pirate PRs have been out in force. By my count 11 people has so far claimed to be spokesmen for the pirates and had their quotes faithfully recorded in the western media.

Here’s your rundown of pirate spokesmen. Must rush, I’m waiting on a call from a pirate spokesman who goes by the name Abu Sharati.

Read the whole piece, it’s worth it.

Lousia Lombard talks about the “magical” state in the Central African Republic, prompting a response from Texas in Africa, who talks about what happens when African states become “twilight institutions,” and why people still sometimes hope that a mostly absent state will one day function better. Lombard responds here.

Foreign Policy looks at Egypt and USAID.

And, in honor of the China-Africa summit in Egypt today, check out the China in Africa blog I discovered this week.

Finally, check out this video from Al Jazeera on recruitment of Somali Kenyans to fight in Somalia:

SvD rapporterar om att man upptäckt en överrepresentation av barn med somalisk bakgrund i Rinkeby med autism. Tidningens nestor (nestra?) på medicinområdet, Inger Atterstam, gör en saklig och balanserad artikel där hon intervjuar berörda ur gruppen och låter experter komma till tals med den bästa för tillfället rådande teorin, nämligen att det är fråga om D-vitaminbrist som lättare infaller hos mörkhyade människor i solfattiga länder.

Fakta, inte spekulationer, till skillnad från de snillen-spekulerar-teorier som den rasistiska bloggosfären ägnar sig åt. Är det någon som på fullt allvar tror att det faktum att många somaliska kvinnor bär “heltäckande” klädsel” skulle vara förklaringen? Har de gått in i en kollektiv förträngning när det gäller vilket land vi befinner oss i?

Hallå! ALLA svenskar bär heltäckande klädsel utomhus den absolut största delen av året! Annars fryser man ihjäl.

Däremot är kunskapen om sjukdomar direkt förknippade med etnicitet (hudens upptagning av vitamin, sickle-cell, alkoholnedbrytande enzym) fortfarande dålig inom sjukvården i Sverige och ingår inte i läkarutbildningen i större utsträckning. Varför skrivs det inte om det?

Frågan är också hur det ser ut om man jämför med andra afrosvenskar när det gäller autism. Kan det vara en klassfråga? Rinkeby är ett relativt fattigt område. Människor ur arbetarklassen är sjuka i högre utsträckning och där ingår större svårigheter med att ta till sig information om exempelvis kompletterande vitaminer, komplett kost och rätt sjukvård.

Finns denna sjukdom i Finland, som också har en relevant somalisk invandring? Finns den bland svensk-eritreaner, som är en annan stor mörkhyad etnisk minoritet, men med generellt sett högre utbildningsnivå då Eritrea inte varit ett havererat land i 30 år på samma sätt som Somalia?

Det kommer säkert i en uppföljande text. Tills dess glädjer vi oss åt det specifika pratet om svensk-somalier ustället för luddiga “invandrare”.

KM

Uppdatering: Det rasar in allsköns kommentarer som spekulerar kring orsakerna till företeelsen.  Inlägget handlade just om artikel somvar föredömlig för att den inte frossade i spekulationer och vi har ingen avsikt att göra den här bloggen till ett forum för diskussioner som inte har med mediegranskning att göra.

Vi tog oss dock friheten att själva gissa att kläderna inte är orsaken så för att låta den åsikten bemötas har vi valt ut de två mest balanserade kommentarerna och lämnat resten därhän. Det räcker som sagt att sola en handflata i en kvart för att ta upp det D-vitamin man kan ta upp. Att springa omkring naken ger inte mer D-vitamin.

Äter man rätt så kompenserar man för det bristande solljuset via kosten. Arbetarklassen är sedan länge känd för att ha en mindre sund livsstil, vilket kopplas till bland annat utbildningsnivå. Ofta glöms klassdimensionen bort och man vill få allt att handla om etnicitet.

Stockholms stads kultur- och integrationsstöd ska främja demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter. Att kulturstöd i somras utbetalades till en festival med starka kopplingar till den eritreanska regimen är oacceptabelt och får aldrig hända igen. Nu sätter kulturförvaltningen igång ett ordentligt arbete för att säkra detta.

Kultur- och integrationsstödet ska främja demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter. Det måste vara självklart att de ansökandes inställning och evenemangets förhållningssätt till demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter är en förutsättning för att komma i fråga som mottagare av kulturstöd överhuvudtaget.  Först därefter bör andra avväganden göras kring konstnärlig kvalitet etc.

När det i somras uppdagades att Eritreafestivalen hade fått pengar från kulturnämndens stödsystem, gav nämnden, efter ett initiativ från mig och mina allianskollegor, kulturförvaltningen i uppdrag att se över hur detta kunde hända, samt om det skulle vara möjligt att kräva tillbaka pengarna. Kulturförvaltningen gav detta uppdrag till den oberoende utredaren Anna Nilsdotter. Nilsdotters rapport är nu färdig och kommer upp på kulturnämndens bord den 17 november.

I rapporten konstaterar utredaren att kulturförvaltningen har handlat enligt gängse rutiner, men att praxis och riktlinjer behöver ses över. Det visar sig att det inom förvaltningen inte funnits kunskap om de arrangerande organisationernas förhållande till Eritrea och att det finns oklarheter kring hur organisationer och deras verksamhet ska bedömas. Utredaren beskriver tre problemområden.

Det första handlar om huruvida de sökandes organisation eller aktivitet ska bedömas vid beslut om stöd. Kulturförvaltningen har hittills sett till endast aktiviteten, men rapporten understryker vikten av att även se till den arrangerande organisationens värderingar och historia.

Det andra problemområdet fokuserar på omvärldsbevakning, där rapportförfattaren menar att det inom kulturförvaltningen saknats ordentlig omvärldsbevakning av organisationerna.

Det tredje området rör hur man ser på riktlinjerna, där det framgår att kultur- och integrationsstödet ska främja demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter.

I rapporten framgår att det inom förvaltningen finns olika syn på hur detta ska tolkas. Till sist konstateras i utredningen att det inte är möjligt att kräva tillbaka de pengar som utbetalats till Eritreafestivalen, då det inte har kommit fram att Eritreafestivalen gjort några fel i förhållande till sin ansökan, utan de har fått pengar för det de har sökt för.

Kulturförvaltningen tar utredningen på stort allvar. I sitt tjänsteutlåtande lägger förvaltningen fram fyra förslag om åtgärder för att säkra att en sådan här felaktig betalning inte kan göras igen: Kontroller av stödsökande organisationers värdegrund genom utökad omvärldsbevakning, operationalisering av riktlinjernas krav på integration, demokrati, mänskliga rättigheter och jämställdhet, förtydligad praxis vad gäller likabehandling av alla organisationer och institutioner avseende krav som ställs om att i integrationssyfte främja mänskliga rättigheter, demokrati, jämställdhet och motverka utanförskap, rasism och diskriminering samt en översyn av rutinerna för hantering av projekt som genererar överskott.

Det är ett viktigt arbete som börjar. Inget mer stöd ska ges till diktaturkramare.

Madeleine